Hexagonal Plate Slots for Lighter, Easier Sliding Block Clamping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing plates with T-shaped slots are complex and costly to produce, requiring significant material thickness and tooling, which limits their efficiency and versatility in applications like slot tables.
Innovation Solution
A plate with hexagonal slots that can be produced more simply and inexpensively, allowing for reduced material thickness and weight, with slots arranged at an optimal 42° to 48° angle for efficient machining, and a sliding block with a hexagonal cross-section that can be easily integrated for flexible clamping and guiding systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If T-shaped slots are used in plates, then the slots can accommodate sliding blocks for clamping and guiding systems, but the production becomes complex and costly, requiring significant material thickness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the geometric parameters of the slot cross-section from a T-shape to a hexagon shape. This parameter change simplifies the manufacturing process by allowing the use of standard hexagonal milling cutters and broaching tools, while reducing the required material thickness. The hexagonal geometry provides adequate space for threaded bores in sliding blocks without requiring the complex T-shaped structure.
2Strength
If T-shaped slots are used in plates, then the slots provide structural integrity, but the plate weight increases due to required material thickness
Solution Approach 1:
By changing the slot cross-section from T-shaped to hexagonal, the patent reduces the required material thickness while maintaining structural integrity. The hexagonal geometry distributes stress more efficiently and provides adequate wall thickness for strength, allowing thinner plates that weigh less but maintain the necessary load-bearing capacity for clamping and guiding applications.
3Adaptability or versatility
If T-shaped slots are used in plates, then the slots can accommodate sliding blocks, but the threaded bores in sliding blocks must have smaller diameters
Solution Approach 1:
The hexagonal cross-section of the slot provides a more favorable geometric configuration that accommodates larger diameter threaded bores in the sliding blocks. The six-sided geometry offers better space distribution compared to the T-shape, allowing for larger fastening elements while maintaining a simpler overall slot structure that is easier to manufacture.
4Productivity
If slots are machined at angles of 42° to 48° for hexagonal cross-section, then production efficiency improves, but precise angle control is required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent specifies an optimal angle range of 42° to 48° (preferably 45°) for machining the hexagonal slot cross-section. This parameter range was selected to balance manufacturing efficiency with achievable precision using standard machining equipment. The 45° angle is particularly advantageous as it aligns with common tooling capabilities while maintaining the hexagonal geometry that simplifies production overall.
Data Source
AI summary
A plate includes a surface having a slot designed for acceptance of a sliding block. The slot has a cross-section which in perpendicular relation to a longitudinal direction of the slot is a hexagon.